2009 Liz Carpenter Award for the best scholarly book on the history of women and Texas, presented by the Texas State Historical Association

Black Women in Texas History

Edited by Bruce A. Glasrud and Merline Pitre

Though often consigned to the footnotes of history, African American women are a significant part of the rich, multiethnic heritage of Texas and the United States. Until now, though, their story has frequently been fragmented and underappreciated. Black Women in Texas History draws together a multi-author narrative of the experiences and impact of black American women from the time of slavery until the recent past. Each chapter, written by an expert on the era, provides a readable survey and overview of the lives and roles of black Texas women during that period. Each provides careful documentation, which, along with the thorough bibliography compiled by the volume editors, will provide a starting point for others wanting to build on this important topic. The authors address significant questions about population demographics, employment patterns, family and social dimensions, legal and political rights, and individual accomplishments. They look not only at how African American women have been shaped by the larger culture but also at how these women have, in turn, affected the culture and history of Texas. This work situates African American women within the context of their times and offers a due appreciation and analysis of their lives and accomplishments. Black Women in Texas History is an important addition to history and sociology curriculums as well as black studies and women’s studies programs. It will provide for interested students, scholars, and general readers a comprehensive survey of the crucial role these women played in shaping the history of the Lone Star State.

BRUCE A. GLASRUD is Professor Emeritus of History at California State University, East Bay, and retired Dean, School of Arts and Sciences, Sul Ross State University. He has authored or coauthored nine books, and he edited (with Michael Searles) Buffalo Soldiers in the West: A Black Soldiers Anthology, published by Texas A&M University Press. He lives in Seguin, Texas. MERLINE PITRE, author of In Struggle against Jim Crow: Lulu B. White and the NAACP, 1900–1957, published by Texas A&M University Press, is dean of liberal arts and behavioral sciences and professor of history at Texas Southern University in Houston.

What Readers Are Saying:

“The informative essays in Black Women in Texas History demonstrate substantial command of secondary and archival materials and collectively make an essential contribution to the fields of Black Women's studies, African American, Southern, and Texas history. Editors Bruce A. Glasrud and Merline Pitre have assembled an impressive array of scholars whose compellingly written contributions deepen our understanding of the complex ways in which African American women made an organized community life, and shaped race, gender, and class dynamics in the Lone Star State.”--Dr. Darlene Clark Hine, Northwestern University; editor, Black Women in America

"The book is written for the general public, but the research and notes make it useful for historians, too.

"Rich in historiography, meticulously researched and written. . ."

"The collection leaves the reader wanting more, for each article invites further investigation of the specific roles and work of women as individuals and as leaders of their communities, organizations, and movements. Together, the essays function as a reference work, pulling together resources for students and scholars alike. The book's bibliography is more than welcome at a time when too many publishers omit this necessary aid."

“As you read this well constructed historical account of the rise of black women from slavery to the present positions, you feel like cheering as each ‘rung goes higher and higher. This short excerpt tells it all . . . . fine book.” --Manhattan Mercury

"This well researched volume of essays...would be of great help to other experienced or fledgling scholars. This insightful and interesting volume...would be of great interest to a wide range of audiences." -- Sara Pace, Review of Texas Books